Strange and Happy Beginnings
by MollyBear
Summary: Hermione Granger meets a mysterious stranger in the Forbidden Forest in her 6th year. A Harry Potter/Twilight crossover. An Edward and Hermione story. AU


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight...le sigh.**

**AN: I have another experimental plot bunny to share with you! I originally wrote this for my livejournal but I decided to test it out here. It's a waaay out there pairing...well sorta, lol. It's my first crossover(Harry Potter/Twilight) and my first time writing Edward. I really hope I did him justice. It's important to know that in my story Edward never went back to Bella in New Moon and Bella actually got a life and moved on. (Don't get me wrong I love Edward and Bella together, but honestly, she gets a little annoying sometimes!)Hope you all enjoy! Reviews are love!  
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It was a cool and crisp winter morning as Hermione Granger traversed the Hogwarts grounds. The sun shone bright and reflected off the snow turning the land into brilliant, glistening diamonds. The day and the scenery, however, did not match Hermione's mood. Her sixth year at Hogwarts was turning out to be one of the worst yet. Granted fifth year was terrible and no one ever dared to mention fourth year around her…It seemed the higher up she went at Hogwarts the harder and more trying life became.

Images of a laughing grey eyed boy suddenly swam into her vision and she forcefully pushed them down.

"Stop thinking about him. He's not coming back." She told herself. "You've moved on. You like Ron now."

She grumbled as she thought of the red head. He was being the world's biggest prat. Sucking face with Lavender Brown seemed to become his favourite sport, replacing Quidditch. Hermione had honestly thought there was something between her and Ron and hoped to explore it this year.

"Seems I'll always be unlucky in love." She muttered to the sky.

Deep down, Hermione knew she was fooling herself. There would never be anything between her and Ron except for friendship. They fought far too much and the only thing they seemed to have in common was Harry. In fact if it wasn't for The-Boy-Who-Lived, Hermione doubted if she and Ron would have looked twice at each other.

Even deeper down, so deep in fact Hermione was afraid to go near it, she knew she wasn't over the boy she lost two years ago. She was terrified that she would never get over Cedric Diggory…part of her didn't want to.

She looked to the sky as a single tear dripped down her cheek.

"I miss you so much…" She whispered.

Suddenly aware of the branches blocking her view of the sky, Hermione took in her surroundings and groaned. She was in the bleeding Forbidden Forest.

"I really have to start paying attention to things." She thought as she looked around, not knowing which way she came. It had started snowing again and her tracks had become obscured giving no indication as to which way she had come from. The trees seemed to go on for ages in all directions, though with the snow as heavy as it was she couldn't really be sure.

"Fantastic." She muttered.

Suddenly she heard a branch snap behind her. She whipped out her wand instinctively and said sharply, "Who's there?!" She squinted through the snow and trees and saw a dark figure moving towards her. "Stop!" She demanded. "I have a wand and I'm not afraid to use it!" She winced at her words. How clichéd could she get?

The figure chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy, she realized now, stepped into her line of vision and she gasped and nearly dropped her wand.

"Cedric?" She asked in a shaky whisper.

"I'm sorry?" He said. "Who?"

Her wand arm fell lifelessly to her side as her sudden euphoria was crushed. Not only was he definitely not Cedric but he was American by the sound of his accent.

"Never mind." Hermione said. "You just look like someone I used to know."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." He said with a slight smile.

"No it's not that…" She trailed off and the boys eyebrow furrowed sympathetically.

"I'm very sorry." He said as if he knew what she was thinking.

Hermione shrugged.

"My name is Edward Cullen, by the way."

"Hermione Granger." She said. "Hold on a minute!" She spluttered as she realized the situation. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing out here? You don't go to Hogwarts!"

"Oh the school back that ways?" He said nodding in the direction behind her. "No I don't. But you do I'm assuming."

"Yes I do, as a matter a fact, so I know that no one can get onto these grounds who doesn't have permission to. Well at least not if they're crazy enough to trek through the whole bloody forest." He raised his eyebrow to her comment and she gasped. "You did?! But…but how?…A Muggle could never find their way! And you shouldn't even be able to see Hogwarts-" She stopped suddenly as her brain really began to process his appearance. Deathly pale skin with dark purple circles under his eyes. Gorgeous perfect features that no mortal person could ever aspire to have. Lastly she took in his eyes. They were black as night and very hungry looking…

"Oh my God. You're a vampire."

"Correct." He said softly. "So why aren't you running away, screaming?"

"I…I don't know." She admitted. "If you had wanted to kill me you could have all ready. And…I feel…strangely at peace…I haven't felt this way since…" She trailed off.

"Since Cedric Diggory was killed, am I right?"

'How do you-"

Edward tapped his head. "I can read people's minds."

"What?!" She gasped. "Well, you could have mentioned that earlier!" She snapped.

"You're more afraid of what I'll hear in your head then you are of what I am?' He demanded bemused.

Hermione thought for a moment. "Unquestionably." She told him.

Edward's eyes became pained as he thought of another girl who had the same frame of mind.

"Edward?" Came Hermione's voice. He came to his senses and he saw that the girl was standing much closer to him. "Too much like Bella." Edward thought. He tensed slightly as he anticipated the over powering thirst that was likely to consume him after weeks of being away from human contact. Curiously it never came. Cautiously he inhaled deeper and he breathed in a scent that made him feel such peace, such serenity that he immediately shied away from her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing…I just don't think you should stand so close."

Her eyes showed her understanding. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot."

He snorted. "You forgot you were standing next to a monster?"

"You hardly seem monstrous to me." She said as she sat on a fallen log. She patted the space beside her. "Come on, have a seat. I won't bite." Hermione said with a grin.

Chuckling at her attempt at humour Edward decided to throw cautions in the wind and sit next to the strange girl.

"So…what exactly are you doing all the way over here?" Hermione asked him. "It sounds like you're a long way from home."

He nodded. "Indeed…I am." Edward said softly.

_He looks so sad…_He heard her think. _I wish there was something I could do…but seeing as I can't even get over my past, how can I hope to help him?"_

"You are helping." He told her.

"Get out of my head!" She demanded, lightly hitting his arm.

"You do realize-"

"That I can't hurt you?" She said amusedly. "I know. That's why I didn't hit you hard. I really don't need a broken hand thank-you very much."

He laughed. "You seem to know a lot about vampires."

She nodded. "Quite a bit. I've read a lot of books about them. I prefer reading their memoirs even though there are very few of those. I've always been more interested in their view of things." She smiled at him. "I also know enough to come to the conclusion that you don't have the conventional vampire diet."

"Are you always right?" He asked her, mystified.

"Hmm…usually." She said.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm still dangerous, Hermione. I…I forgot that for a while some time ago…there was this girl…a human girl and I deluded myself into thinking that I could be with her." He chuckled darkly. "Have you ever heard anything more ludicrous? A human and a vampire?"

"That's why you left? To make sure that you never got the chance to hurt her?"

"You assume that I didn't? Maybe the reason I left is because I did hurt her."

Hermione shook her head. "No…I don't believe that. I can tell that you cared very much for her. I see how much you love her and no matter what you are, you can never hurt the one you love."

Edward was silent for a moment. "It seems that you are right again. I did leave before I could hurt her."

"Did she recover from loosing you?" Hermione asked now.

"What makes you ask that?"

"I know what it feels like to loose the person you love most in the world. It's not something you get over very easily."

"I…I went back to check on her a month ago…she's moved on to a better person. Someone who can give her the life she deserved. The life that I can never give her."

"I'm sorry, Edward."

He shook his head. "No, it's a good thing, Hermione. I'm glad that she has the strength to move on."

They were quiet again.

"What are you out here?" Edward asked her now.

Hermione snorted. "Have you got all week? It's a long story that seems to have started a life time ago."

"I have all eternity." Edward reminded her.

Hermione placed her chin in her hand and stared off into the distance. "I've had myself fooled for some time. I thought I was over him. I thought that maybe…just maybe I had the strength to move on and love someone else. I was wrong though." She said voice full of an emotion Edward only knew too well. "I still-" She choked back a sob and angrily brushed the few tears that managed to escape. "It's stupid. He's dead and he's never coming back. I've accepted that. What I can't seem to accept is that I can fall in love again after being ripped apart." She stopped talking, too over come to continue so she let his mind reading ability do the rest.

"_I loved him so much, Edward. So much that it scared the hell out of me. Loosing him…it was like loosing a part of myself. A part that I'm afraid I'll never find again."_

No words could describe this sympathy for her so he let his eyes do the talking. They gazed at each other for uncountable minutes as Edwards comforting eyes told her what she needed to know.

"Thank-you." She whispered as she gently touched his marble cheek.

He flinched at first but soon discovered her touch only brought on the same peace that her scent did. The only thirsts he had for Hermione was to know more about her and another thirst that he knew was not the right time to explore.

It was curious the difference between Hermione's scent and Bella's. Hermione's calmed and soothed him and made Edward feel more human than he had since he had been changed. Bella's on the other hand brought the very monster out that he had been trying to push down for decades.

He smiled at her and placed his hand over hers, which still rested on his cheek and breathed in the overwhelming fragrance from her wrist.

Hermione seemed surprised at his actions but not afraid. "How can you-"

She began to ask.

"You're scent brings me peace, Hermione. You make me feel more human then I can ever remember being. I have never encountered anything like it before. I've always had a reaction to human blood. It has always called out to me but I never give in. Your blood, on the other hand, calls out to me in a completely different way."

"And…and how does it call to you?' She whispered.

"It's calling me home." He said tenderly.

Hermione smiled her true smile as he lightly kissed her wrist.

"I think…" She began. "I think I don't need to be afraid anymore."

"No?"

She shook her head. "No…I think that part of me, the part I lost is slowly being found."

And suddenly the two of them knew their lives would never be the same again.

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**AN: So...any good? Seriously I really would like to know what you think. I've only read two or three other stories with this pairing (and they were all excellent) so I'm very curious to know what everyone's thoughts are. Thanks for reading!**


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